By Shannon Lukens.
The City of Steamboat Springs is hosting three community sessions to discuss the proposed Commercial Recycling Ordinance. The first one is at noon this Thursday, at Centennial Hall on 10th Street. The ordinance is for businesses and multi-family residences within city limits. All solid waste collects must provide recycling to commercial accounts.
Two other meetings are at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, and noon on Thursday, Jan. 26, all at Centennial Hall.
Here is the press release from the City of Steamboat Springs.
Mandatory Commercial Recycling Open Houses Talk Trash
Three Community Sessions Outline Proposed Commercial Recycling Ordinance
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-December 27, 2022-Let’s talk trash, recycling, and the proposed mandatory commercial recycling ordinance when the city hosts three open houses in January that share information on the proposed ordinance and seek feedback on the topic.
“This mandatory program will increase material diversion out of the landfill and aid the city in meeting its Climate Action Plan goals,” said Community Recycling Coordinator Alicia Archibald. “This seems like a logical next step and the open houses will gather additional input, concerns and insights ahead of council’s final consideration of the matter.”
Currently, the code requires all commercial waste collection companies operating in the city limits provide wildlife-resistant trash containers and provide curbside recycling for residential customers in single-family and duplex homes.
The new ordinance, which applies to businesses and multi-family residences, would require all solid waste collectors to provide recycling to commercial customers. Waste haulers estimate that 50% of commercial accounts already include recycling.
During the sessions, attendees will get information on the proposed commercial recycling ordinance as well as have the opportunity to provide feedback before the ordinance goes back to council in February 2023. The open houses are scheduled as follows:
- Noon on Thursday, January 5 at Centennial Hall, 124 10th Street
- 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24 at Centennial Hall, 124 10th Street
- Noon on Thursday, January 26 at Centennial Hall, 124 10th Street
City staff worked with LBA and Associates to develop this ordinance, and then held two separate meetings with representatives from City Council, Waste Management, Twin Enviro, and the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council. In addition, feedback from commercial entities through a focus group were also pursued.
The Steamboat Springs Recycling Study, which was presented to city council in early February 2022, recommended that the city require mandatory business and multi-family recycling. City Council directed staff to bring back an ordinance for formal consideration of mandatory commercial (business and multi-family) recycling.
Aspen, Boulder, Breckenridge, Frisco, Ft Collins, Pitkin County, and Vail are a few areas that approved commercial recycling programs in their jurisdictions similar to the one Steamboat Springs is considering.